Is Port Orleans R worth the extra money in comparison to Pop or AoA?

The_Bellringer

Active Member
Original Poster
I want to go on a Disney World Vacation next year with my family, as we have never been before. We are tight on money, but still want this to be nice. Looking at prices of the hotels kind of scares me, and while Pop isn't too expensive (nor Art), I feel like my parents might not like the motel-ish feel of them.

Is the extra cash for the moderates really worth it? Does Pop and Art really feel "cheap"? My mom is kinda picky with hotels....

Thanks!
 

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
"Worth" is subjective. I've stayed at most of the resorts. I consider it worth it to stay at Moderate or Deluxe. The beds are better quality and there are aspects of each that appeal to me. That said, if I'm on a tighter budget on a given trip [every now and then the Canadian dollar takes a dive] or I'm just doing a quick trip for a few days, I'll happily stay at Pop [AoA only has Ariel as regular rooms and the walk is longer than I like].

The Values are clean and pleasant to stay at. If your mom is picky, I'd play it safe and spring for a Moderate.
 

J_Krafty24

Active Member
The deciding factor that made POFQ worth the upgrade over a value for us on our last trip was the queen size beds. Value resorts have full size beds and that would a bit too tight a squeeze. If values had queen beds or if king beds could be reserved instead if just requested we would save the money and stay at the values.
 

Rodb

Active Member
por: request building # 85 magnolia manor (garden view) and you will be happy with your decision. also: the por has their own website; so you can gather more information for your planning
 

The_Bellringer

Active Member
Original Poster
por: request building # 85 magnolia manor (garden view) and you will be happy with your decision. also: the por has their own website; so you can gather more information for your planning
Doesn't it cost more for a garden view? Or am I wrong? We would have to find the cheapest room possible at POR lol.
 

The_Bellringer

Active Member
Original Poster
"Worth" is subjective. I've stayed at most of the resorts. I consider it worth it to stay at Moderate or Deluxe. The beds are better quality and there are aspects of each that appeal to me. That said, if I'm on a tighter budget on a given trip [every now and then the Canadian dollar takes a dive] or I'm just doing a quick trip for a few days, I'll happily stay at Pop [AoA only has Ariel as regular rooms and the walk is longer than I like].

The Values are clean and pleasant to stay at. If your mom is picky, I'd play it safe and spring for a Moderate.
That's my fear that my mom would hate a value. Might just have to spring for the moderate.

It's difficult as i am a teacher, and my vacations always fall in the summer or on breaks where the prices are much higher :/
 

Rodb

Active Member
Doesn't it cost more for a garden view? Or am I wrong? We would have to find the cheapest room possible at POR lol.

the garden view is a few dollars more than the standard view, but it puts you close to the private pool and next to the bridge to get to the main pool and resort lobby. the also have elevators if needed for the second or third floor you will find that por. gives you the best value for a moderate along with boat transportation to disney springs
 

The_Bellringer

Active Member
Original Poster
the garden view is a few dollars more than the standard view, but it puts you close to the private pool and next to the bridge to get to the main pool and resort lobby. the also have elevators if needed for the second or third floor you will find that por. gives you the best value for a moderate along with boat transportation to disney springs
Thanks, I never knew that! That sounds amazing.
 

TiggerDad

Well-Known Member
I want to go on a Disney World Vacation next year with my family, as we have never been before. We are tight on money, but still want this to be nice. Looking at prices of the hotels kind of scares me, and while Pop isn't too expensive (nor Art), I feel like my parents might not like the motel-ish feel of them.

Is the extra cash for the moderates really worth it? Does Pop and Art really feel "cheap"? My mom is kinda picky with hotels....

Thanks!
Depends on how you vacation. We spend all our time at the park, and use our room for sleeping. Others take a more relaxed pace and spend a lot of time enjoying their resort pool, grounds, etc. For them, it's worth spending a little more on the resort. That being said, we do like the larger beds and larger rooms, and I think the transportation tends to be a little more frequent and shorter walks to the bus stops for the higher-end properties.
 

Tom 55

Well-Known Member
I used to spend the extra money and stay at POFQ and POR but with recent changes I have decided to stay at POP. I used to enjoy using the hot tub when ever I wanted. Early morning, late at night but since they have now put up fencing and limited the hours of use to when life guards are on duty. It is one of the few thing that separate a value from a moderate hotel. I never noticed the smaller room size. really how long an I in the room when there are parks to visit. POP and AoA are the best of the value resorts. Mostly because they have there own bus stop. The All Stars all share a bus root so those buses are usually fuller.
 

LeighM

Well-Known Member
I love Riverside! To me and my husband, the price has always been worth it to stay there during longer trips. It has the bigger beds (queens vs full), 2 sinks, and more amenities. The first bus stop for theme parks at Riverside is actually the west depot. If you're concerned about the lines for buses, I would request a room in Alligator Bayou near that bus stop. The bus is always empty so you get your choice of seats and it's the first stop when dropping off. We loved it! It is a further walk from the main lobby though. But it depends on if you're planning on staying more at the resort. Another great location was building 85 in the Magnolia Bend section. It was close to the 3rd bus stop on the theme park loop, East Depot, and a shorter walk over Old Man Island to get to the lobby, restaurants, and boat for Disney Springs.
 

MuteSuperstar

Well-Known Member
I would say absolutely worth it, in my opinion it has the best grounds and atmosphere of any WDW resort with the possible exception of Boardwalk (though a big part of that is the proximity to Epcot and the decaying carcass of the Studios).
 

Hcalvert

Well-Known Member
That's my fear that my mom would hate a value. Might just have to spring for the moderate.

It's difficult as i am a teacher, and my vacations always fall in the summer or on breaks where the prices are much higher :/

I am a teacher too and usually go yearly in early June as soon as school lets out (25% off rooms right now). I once tried to stay at a value resort (All-Star Movies, I think. It was in 2005), but after arriving in the room, I went down to the lobby and upgraded to Coronado Springs. I didn't realize that the value resorts were so huge, hotel-like, and not that many amenities (no table service restaurants, share busses, minimal pools). I have never stayed in anything lower than moderates. Deluxe Villas are nice if you can use someone's DVC points. Ask around the school, I have loads of teacher colleagues that have Disney timeshares and they will often book me a Animal Kingdom or Old Key West reservation for a reasonable price (at moderate resort rates) if they are not going to use the points. I have stayed a POR and enjoyed it, especially the extra bed for my son (pull down available in the Alligator Bayou area).
 

Uncle Lupe

Well-Known Member
We enjoyed the stay at Riverside. The food options, boat access to DTD at the time and the lounge entertainment made for a relaxed feeling after a hectic day at the parks.

Use the bus stop near the lobby or you'll be watching full buses drive by for a while.
 

MRGEFF

Well-Known Member
I love Riverside! To me and my husband, the price has always been worth it to stay there during longer trips. It has the bigger beds (queens vs full), 2 sinks, and more amenities. The first bus stop for theme parks at Riverside is actually the west depot. If you're concerned about the lines for buses, I would request a room in Alligator Bayou near that bus stop. The bus is always empty so you get your choice of seats and it's the first stop when dropping off. We loved it! It is a further walk from the main lobby though. But it depends on if you're planning on staying more at the resort. Another great location was building 85 in the Magnolia Bend section. It was close to the 3rd bus stop on the theme park loop, East Depot, and a shorter walk over Old Man Island to get to the lobby, restaurants, and boat for Disney Springs.
We really like Riverside too, it's the DH's favorite moderate. You can never go wrong with Riverside. We also stayed at AoA last April with our youngest son's family and were pleasantly surprised at how quiet the rooms were. ( Little Mermaid buildings )No matter what, it's vacation time in WDW!
 

Mickey5150

Well-Known Member
That's my fear that my mom would hate a value. Might just have to spring for the moderate.

It's difficult as i am a teacher, and my vacations always fall in the summer or on breaks where the prices are much higher :/
The Swan and Dolphin hotels, which are deluxe resorts, offer a teachers discount. Mousesavers.com has information about it. The discount can be very significant if it's available.
 

drwadadli

Well-Known Member
"Worth It"?? Worth is a personal issue because what one sees as a higher value another may not. Things to keep in mind when asking or answering if something is worth it doesn't always mean financially. When comparing POP or AoA to POR, you should look at everything to determine which is a better stay.

My wife and I were debating over the exact same resorts as you are and we picked POR. Here is what we looked at to help determined worth for us:

All those resorts are on the bus system but POR has an added benefit of being on the boat system to get to and from Disney Springs. We greatly enjoy heading to DS after the parks close and going by boat is (and was) less of a hassle then going by bus. Nicer rooms?...well yes the Moderate rate resorts have nicer beds and bathrooms but like one person previously said, how time do you really spend in the rooms. For us, it is just a place to sleep and nicer bed are important for that. Also, either way you look at, it is still just a "motel" room. We stayed in Alligator Bayou and the rooms were comfortable and we asked for a corner room so as to have two windows but it was still a "motel" room with more theming. So, for us, the ability to get to DS for a drink, dinner and walking around with ease was more important than everything else so therefore; POR was "worth it" for us because of that.

As someone had mentioned, our room in Alligator Bayou was close to the bus stop and the buses always seemed empty so there was no waiting to find a seat and the bus ran frequently. We like Epcot a lot so POR was about a 10 minute bus ride to Epcot and HS and about 15 minutes to MK but about 20 minutes to AK.
 

Oogieboogie

New Member
I want to go on a Disney World Vacation next year with my family, as we have never been before. We are tight on money, but still want this to be nice. Looking at prices of the hotels kind of scares me, and while Pop isn't too expensive (nor Art), I feel like my parents might not like the motel-ish feel of them.

Is the extra cash for the moderates really worth it? Does Pop and Art really feel "cheap"? My mom is kinda picky with hotels....

Thanks!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't all the moderate resorts have motel doors, where they open to the outside instead of a lobby?
 

KrzyKtty

Well-Known Member
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't all the moderate resorts have motel doors, where they open to the outside instead of a lobby?
They do. The Moderates tend to be slightly larger, with Queen size beds. They also normally have a sit down restaurant and 2 bars on the property
 

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